


Sanguinare Vampiris

by orphan_account



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Biting, Blood and Violence, Dark Brotherhood (Elder Scrolls) - Freeform, Dark Brotherhood Questline, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Loss of Virginity, Modern Girl in Tamriel, Murder, Neck Kissing, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to Depression, Romance, Self-Indulgent, Teasing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 10:41:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28350063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The year is 2023 and quarantine is still going strong. However, much to the delight of dedicated gamers everywhere, a new and improved form of virtual reality has just been released; Immersive Virtual Reality, or IVR, to help them through the stress of the pandemic. Fen, a young woman fresh out of high school, is among those lucky, and wealthy, enough to experience it for herself. However, as it is with stories of this nature, things don’t go quite as planned.
Relationships: Vicente Valtieri/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep rewriting this story. I spent hours working on this single chapter. I revised it until I felt it satisfactory enough. Even now, it’s only acceptable at most.
> 
> I just hope you enjoy this self-indulgent dumpster fire. I’ll try to slow the pacing down just a bit from my previous disasters, all of which were purged from this mortal coil and thrown into the depths of hell for the sole sin of even existing. Not that this story will be any better.
> 
> I appreciate any constructive criticism you may have, as it’ll help me improve.

Rain tapped rhythmically against a frosted glass windowpane. Somewhere in the distance, thunder growled a halfhearted warning. Lightning followed closely at its heels, illuminating the world in a brilliant flash of light, before snuffing out just as abruptly. An ancient house creaked against the harsh pounding of wind, and there was a brief moment of doubt from its occupants, even though they knew it had held up in the past, and would hold for decades to come.

Fenna Beatrice Labeau, dubbed Fen by what few friends she had, knew she was luckier than most. Where quarantine had been unkind to most, she had remained mostly unaffected by the pandemic. Her father was relatively well off and, as she had only just turned eighteen, she had yet to leave the nest. She had good food, a warm bed, and plenty of shiny trinkets to keep herself busy.

That wasn’t to say her father bowed down to her every whim like some stuffy pushover. He was never a big spender, even if he could afford it, and the only times he ever gifted her with anything other than practical were on birthdays and holidays. So it was to Fen’s confusion and surprise that her father called her into the lounge to gift her with a neatly wrapped parcel topped with a glittery bow.

”I don’t mean to be rude,” Fen said, eyeing the package. “But why are you giving this to me? It’s nowhere near my birthday...” Fen trailed off, itching to rip away the silvery wrapping paper and reveal what was hidden beneath. Everyone liked receiving gifts, and Fen was no different.

”I _was_ saving it for your birthday,” her father replied, gesturing towards the present. “I had it wrapped and everything. It was in short supply, so I bought it early,” - He cleared his throat - “But I digress,” he picked up a nearby tea set and poured himself a cup of steaming liquid. “With the way you keep pestering me about being bored, I figured I’d pull it out early.”

“I wasn’t pestering-“ her father holds up a hand, signaling her to quiet down. She complies, if only because of the good-natured tone of his teasing, and her unwillingness to argue.

“I was tempted to give you chores,” he says, his eyes twinkling with humor. “Make you clean the entire house so you stopped complaining about not having anything to do.” He takes a long sip of his tea. “But I figured this might keep you occupied for a bit longer, considering you inherited that neat mindset from your-“ he pauses, a heavy silence falling over him. But only for a moment. “Go ahead and open it.”

Fen swallows the lump in her throat, ignoring her father’s slip of the tongue in favor of an emotionally painless afternoon. She reaches forward, her pudgy, tan fingers peeling away at the glittery paper, revealing a cardboard box beneath. She clawed and pulled at the tape holding it shut, before her father handed her a pair of scissors. Finally open, the contents of the box were uncovered for all the world to see.

What seemed to be a silver-grey bodysuit, a pair of gloves, and a lightweight plastic headset were tucked away neatly at the bottom of the box. A folded paper sat atop it all, and Fen deftly slipped it from the box. Unfolding it, she read and reread the words written elegantly on the slip of paper.

_Happy birthday, Fen! Nineteen years ago today, you were brought into this world - our gift from god._

”Disregard the note,” her father spoke, his voice dripping with amusement. “I didn’t think I’d give it to you this early.”

”Is-is this...?” Fen’s heart soared as she set aside the note, gingerly placing it far away from the tea set as to prevent any unfortunate accidents from tarnishing it. Her father nodded, grinning so wide you’d think it was he who had received the gift.

”An Immersive Virtual Reality headset,” he confirmed, taking another sip from his teacup. “With those gloves and bodysuit too. Took me an entire damn week to track these things down.” His smug grin was a testament to his pride, even if he had no idea just how valuable this gift was to her. “Sold out everywhere. I swear-“ Fen tackled her father, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug that squeezed the breath from his lungs.

“Thank you, thank you,” Fen chanted, her soft voice somehow reaching volumes her father hadn’t thought possible. “This is the greatest gift ever!” Her father chuckled and pushed at his daughter’s shoulder, attempting to dislodge her from her suffocating grip. His attempts were on vain, as Fen was determined to show her gratitude in the best, and most painful, way. So he resorted to a sinister, horrid, most terrible method.

”That’s enough, Trixie,” her father teased. Fen wrinkled her nose at the nickname - an embarrassing remnant of her childhood she’d rather forget - and released her father from her grasp with an exaggerated noise of disgust. “Don’t you wanna try it out? I cleared out some space in the basement for you.” Her annoyance forgotten, Fen nodded and picked up the cardboard box, shuffling off to the basement. Her father laughed at her thinly veiled enthusiasm and slumped heavily against the couch, picking up a book and preparing himself for a few hours of complete silence.

Fen didn’t care if this was just a ploy to keep her out of the way. A new world had just been opened up to her, one she thought would be denied to her due to the increasing rarity of these headsets. And with the bodysuit and gloves, her experience would not just be limited to sight and sound. Technology had advanced so far in the past decade that, although expensive, this strange material could simulate actual touch, excluding pain.

Fen was almost tempted to try the bodysuit and gloves with _activities_ other than gaming, but she wouldn’t want to explain that, should her father walk in on her. Besides, despite officially being an adult, she didn’t exactly have much experience with sex outside of books, and, as much as she hated to admit it, she was far too nervous to experiment with such _things._

Nevertheless, she took off her clothes - all except her underwear, of course - and slipped into the strange material. It felt silky against her skin, and she almost wanted to take off her underwear so that she could feel the softness of the fabric on the entirety of her skin. Again, though, she felt far too skittish and quickly banished the thought to the farthest reaches of her mind. Thinking like that, even if it was innocent enough, would send herself reeling down train tracks that would leave her flushed and embarrassed. To distract herself, Fen tried on the gloves. They were skintight, like latex, but just as silky as the bodysuit.

Finally, Fen picked up the headset - but didn’t put it on yet - and meandered over to her PC. How was she going to play her games if her new IVR headset wasn’t even connected to her laptop? She flipped open the pink lid, and the screen lit up in response. A few keystrokes later, and she was met with her desktop adorned with an image of a snake wearing a top hat. She stared blankly at the picture, glancing over the multitude of icons that hovered above it, from Dragon Age to Fallout.

Now Fen found herself facing her greatest challenge yet. Her gaming fantasies, which for years had remained mere dreams, were now in reach with the help of this beautiful wonder of technology. She could visit any world, metaphorically speaking, and live out the life of its protagonist. An entire universe was at her fingertips, and yet she found it impossible to pick which one to play.

She would play Fallout 4, were she not in the mood for a fantasy game. Dragon Age was off the table, for no reason other than she wasn’t in a mood to play it. Skyrim was a good game, but Fen had completed it only a day prior. Faced with all these choices - none of which seemed perfect - she somehow found an end to her indecision. One icon stood above the rest. It was familiar and she hadn’t touched it in two years.

Her decision made, Fen clicked on the small, slightly pixelated image of an Oblivion gate - albeit a remastered version of the original - and slipped the headset over her forehead; unknowing of what was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is. My ‘masterpiece.’ It’s not much to look at, but I’ll certainly try my best. It certainly feels better than what it was before.
> 
> Updates may be irregular, but I’ll try to get them out as soon as possible. Don’t be surprised if each chapter takes a bit, as I want to be sure it’s perfect before I post it this time.


	2. Any Sufficiently Advanced Technology...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fen begins her unknowing descent into a ‘new’ world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have noticed, this takes place in something of an alternate timeline. Much of it is still the same, but technology has progressed a lot more in this universe. Of course, I have taken certain liberties with this, as you’ll see later on in this chapter.

There was nothing for a moment; just empty silence and endless darkness. Then the room before her lit up, and the world came to life.

Fen had experienced this feeling only once before in her relatively boring life. It had happened on her twelfth birthday, when she had heard that iconic theme, and listened to the voice of Uriel Septim speak to her. Admittedly, she had been very late to the party, with Skyrim Special Edition being released a year prior. Yet she fell in love all the same, when she heard that iconic song, and listened to Uriel Septim speak.

Now was no different. Her heart was soaring in ways it hadn’t in years. The bitter air against her skin and the scratch of weathered, ragged fabric pressing uncomfortably against her back felt so real. The stone brick walls of her cell seemed so close to reality, that she could reach out and touch them. It was that very same feeling she had felt long ago, but better; nostalgia.

The feeling grew stronger as a familiar voice breached the silence. “Wake up, pretty Redguard,” a voice as slick and dirty as oil taunted, as its owner stepped out from the shadows in the cell across from hers; a Dunmer wearing the same torn up garb as her. “Ah, there you are. How do you like your cell? Is it roomy enough for you?” He teased, leaning heavily against the bars of his prison. “I can’t even imagine what it’s like for you. No more sunshine. No more open seas. Just a box and a dirty beam of sunlight for the rest of your life. Bet you’re glad it won’t last long, huh?” He paused, before a yellowed grin split his face. “Oh, didn’t you know? No one ever leaves this prison alive! You’re going to die in here, Redguard! Die!”

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed from down the hall, interrupting the dark elf’s monologue. “Hey, you hear that?” He sneered, retreating back into the darkest depths of his cell. “The guards are coming... for you!” He cackled almost madly, before quickly quieting down as hushed voices drew nearer.

Fen hardly paid attention to the conversation taking place down the hall, as she had heard it many times before. Instead, she took the time to inspect the cracks in the bricks, and the worn clay cups sitting atop the rickety table. Her hand slithered forward, as real as it had ever been. Soft fingers brushed the rim of the cup, coating the tips in dust. It was as though she were there in the room, though the meagre, almost unnoticeable weight of the headset told her otherwise.

It was strangely detailed for a game, albeit a remaster, from two years ago. However, Fen realized that there had been a few updates for some of her games just days ago; one of which could’ve very well been an update for IVR. It would make sense, given the increasing popularity of these headsets, and Bethesda’s diligence regarding quality and updates. Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of four of, in her opinion, Oblivion’s most iconic characters.

”What’s this prisoner doing here?” A Breton, Captain Renault, hissed to her companions. “This cell is supposed to be _off limits.”_

“Usual mixup with the watch,” an Imperial, Glenroy, if Fen remembered correctly, stumbled over his words. “I...”

”Never mind,” Renault interrupted harshly. “Get this gate open at once. We don’t have much time.” She turned to send a scathing glare in Fen’s direction, as though she were addressing a piece of scum on the bottom of her boot. “Stand back prisoner! We won’t hesitate to kill you if you get in our way.” Fen didn’t want to test the Breton’s patience, and found herself scrambling backwards.

Fen had to mentally remind herself that this was only a game, as Renault was a lot more terrifying than she had first appeared. Though perhaps that wasn’t a surprise, considering there was a clear difference between watching through a screen, and actually being there, so to speak.

The Emperor and his entourage shuffled hastily into the dingy cell. Renault rushed forward, sending one last threatening look in Fen’s direction, before pressing in on a loose brick. There was a scraping of stone against stone, as a hidden doorway - which had melded seamlessly in with the wall - slid forward to reveal a tunnel. Had she not known it was there, Fen likely would’ve been surprised.

”You...” the voice of the Emperor called to her, old and weary. “I’ve seen you... Let me see your face.” Fen turned to look at the lined face of Uriel Septim, meeting his blue eyes with her own honey-brown. “You are the one from my dreams...” his brow furrows, and his eyes darkened with a dull look of grim acceptance. “Then the stars were right and this is the day. Gods give me strength.”

There was a pause, and Fen realized she had to speak her piece. She opened her mouth and spoke, “You’re the Emperor...” She trailed off, internally chastising herself for not saying the words she had read thousands of times before, or anything remotely close, and likely breaking the AI. To her surprise, though, Uriel responded accordingly.

“That is correct,” Uriel spoke, surprisingly stoic despite Fen’s erratic expressions and obvious gawking. “I am your Emperor, Uriel Septim. By the grace of the gods-“

”Why am I here?” Fen blurted dumbly, interrupting the Emperor. She blinked owlishly, her button nose wrinkling and her almond cheeks turning a bright cherry-red. Her hands instinctively raised to cover her face, a vain attempt to hide from the world. It was almost pathetic how she was awkward even in video games. “...Sorry...” She murmured, her apology barely audible.

When she felt she could safely peek from behind her hands, she pulled her stubby hands away from her face, and met the eyes of her new, unwilling companions, each with varying expressions. Renault and Glenroy’s eyes burned with contempt, while Baurus’s were filled with pity. The Emperor’s, however, were alight with gentle empathy. Fen gulped and chose to focus on his face alone, as she couldn’t stand the embarrassment of looking at the other, completely fictional characters’ impatient expressions.

“Perhaps the Gods have placed you here so that we may meet,” Uriel said softly, as though soothing a spooked animal. Admittedly, it wasn’t too far off. However, the calming effect was thrown off kilter by the restless shuffling of the Blades.

”Please, Sire,” Renault urged, gesturing insistently at the open pathway. “We must keep moving.” The Emperor nodded, and, with one last glance in Fen’s direction, followed Renault into the hidden exit. Fen, eager to get a move on with the tutorial, made to follow them. A scalding glare from Glenroy made her pause. Baurus was more welcoming, but not by much.

As the Emperor and his guards disappeared down the long tunnel, the ‘fellow’ Redguard turned to address Fen. “Looks like this is your lucky day.” Baurus stepped through the open passage way, and Fen followed cautiously. “Just stay out of our way.”

Something about the musty stonework tunnels made Fen uneasy. Moss clung to the cracked bricks, and dust hung heavy in the air. When she inhaled, she could almost smell the dirt. Thankfully, the air she breathed remained clean. 

There was a sudden clamor as three Mythic Dawn assassins rushed from the shadows, swords drawn. They darted across the floor, descending upon the group like a ravenous flock of birds. There was a clashing of steel on steel as they swarmed the blades - starving locusts attacking a meagre bundle of wheat. Fen stayed away from the fray, shamefully hiding behind the Emperor.

One by one, the assassins fell to the Blades, the armor disappearing from their corpses in a flash as the spell faded. Blood seeped from their flesh, staining the ground beneath them a dark crimson. As the Blades returned from the scrap, settling by the Emperors side, something moved in the dark. The quietest whisper of stirred dust was her only warning, as, seconds later, a figure burst from his hiding spot.

The armored killer swung his sword, and Fen flinched backwards, stumbling against the Emperor. Instead of taking her head off, as it likely would have, had the hit landed properly, it glided through the soft, chubby skin of her cheek, splitting it apart with ease. Her stomach boiled and threatened to spill its contents all over the stone brick floor. Her throat seized, managing only a pitiful hiss of breath as the air was forced out of her lungs.

Fen hardly registered the pained shout of Renault as a sword was wedged between her armor plates, or the anguished cry of Glenroy as his superior was impaled before his eyes. All she could focus on was the red weeping from the wound, and the agonizing burst of pain seeping into her jaw.

It was the shock that sent a chill clawing up her spine and down to her fingertips, rather than the pain itself. The bodysuit, the headset, the gloves; none of those had the capabilities to simulate pain. Or at least, none had that built in. However, several things soon became increasingly apparent. The coppery scent of blood. The inability to pause. The pain that she shouldn’t feel. But, the most terrifying realization of all was that she could no longer feel the weight of her headset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. This is, in fact, a universe in which Bethesda care’s about quality. Why? Because it’s convenient to the plot...
> 
> ...And this fic is self indulgent and I wanna imagine, for just a brief moment, that Bethesda actually care’s what it’s fanbase thinks.


	3. Lucidity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fen makes some progress.

Fen felt cold. Her skin was encased in a layer of ice, as though her body had frozen over. Her mind, it seemed, had as well, as she had gone numb to the world around her. She couldn’t feel the shiver of her frostbitten fingers, nor the cold breath that got caught her lungs. Her heart, little more than a ball of ice stuck in her chest, felt distant and slow. Warm blood wept from the shallow wound on her cheek, burning like fire against her frozen skin. 

A warmth pierced the bitter cold.

It was quiet at first, unnoticeable. A heavy hand against her shoulder, supporting her weight. But it soon grew from meagre embers to a roaring inferno, warring with the ice. _“Breathe,”_ it spoke, thawing in her lungs. A breathe tore past her throat, and her heart beat once more. _“Everything will be alright. Just breathe.”_ She peeled open her eyelids, which had been frozen shut, and beheld ocean eyes, as cold a blue as the sea, yet warmer than the sun.

Fen still felt cold, but it was more bearable than the blizzard it had been moments ago. She opened her mouth to speak, but found she couldn’t. She had no words. Her mind, previously sluggish, was racing with a million unanswered questions. A hurricane of thoughts rushed on behind her honey eyes, and nothing she could say or ask would bring her solace. So she chose not to speak.

“We need to keep moving, Sire,” the harsh voice of Glenroy pulled her from her raging thoughts, cracking with barely concealed grief. The Emperor turned his fatherly gaze from Fen, and settled it on the frazzled form of the Blade.

”I understand,” Uriel said softly, setting his sights on Fen one last time with a strange, indistinguishable look in his eyes. Glenroy urged him forward impatiently, fumbling with a keyring and slamming open the gate and wooden door.

”Stay put, prisoner!” Glenroy spit, disappearing through the open door, with the Emperor following at his heels. Baurus brought up the rear, offering only a pitied glance in Fen’s direction, before he shut and locked the barred gate, leaving Fen alone with only her thoughts as company. One thought in particularly, had Fen’s spine tingling with dread.

 _‘Weren’t there skeevers here?’_ Fen thought to herself, glancing at the decaying wall to her right. As if on cue, the bricks fell away, crumbling against the stone floor. Two massive rodents crept from the depths of a previously hidden cave. They gnashes their yellowed teeth, noses raised to the air to sniff for what their dull, almost useless eyes couldn’t see.

With a shrill cry, the smaller of the two scrabbled across the floor, filthy nails scratching against the stonework. The larger followed suit with its own raspy war cry, and both rats darted towards Fen in a frenzy. Thinking quickly, Fen ducked to the left, stumbling against the brick stairs and falling clumsily against something warm and oddly shaped. The Skeevers skidded against the floor, coming to stop as they crashed into the wall. They quickly oriented themselves, following their noses and torn ears and charging in pursuit of Fen.

Fen flailed around uselessly, before her hand brushed against the hilt of a sword. She glanced down briefly, meeting the dead, sightless eyes of Captain Renault. Fen plucked the Akaviri Katana from Renault’s belt, and swung it blindly at the approaching skeevers. There was a dull thwack, and the useless scrambling of claws as one of them, the smaller and weaker of the two, flew across the floor. It collided with the wall, stumbling to its feet before a loose brick fell from the ceiling, effectively bludgeoning its head.

Momentarily distracted, Fen didn’t notice the other pest creeping up until a sharp pain pierced her lower leg. Gnarled teeth dug into the meat of her shin. The rat squirmed, scratching at her leg and sinking its maw deeper into the soft flesh. Fen would’ve screamed, had her throat not tightened. Instead, and inelegant squeak drifted past her lips. She kicked her leg out, pushing against the overgrown rodents head. The rat’s teeth were ripped from its prey, as it slid across the floor and skidded to a halt nearby.

Fen stumbled to her feet, hefting the sword, which felt much too heavy in her hands, and bringing it down upon the horrid pest. She put all her weight against the katana, and the blade sunk into the skeever’s back, gliding past its ribs and glancing against the stone beneath, impaling the foul creature. It lay limp and boneless beneath her, and she could almost laughed in triumph, if not for the gash on her leg.

Fen winced, sliding to her knees and falling heavily against her butt. Tears stung in the corners of her eyes, and she fought against them. She was surprised she had yet to cry, though she was determined to stay strong. At least until she could figure this mess out.

With quivering fingers, weakened as the adrenaline rush wore off, she ripped at the ragged fabric of her shirt. It tore easily, despite her weak arms. She tied it tightly around the bite mark, blood soaking through the rag in a matter of seconds. Fen would’ve felt bad for ruining the shirt, if not for the fact that a pair of armor lay in wait for her in the next room, if her memory served her correctly.

Fen stood up and wandered to the open hole. It was like she was looking out through the eyes of another, severed from her body, yet still connected. Dreamlike, almost. It felt exactly like the days following an all nighter, or several. Nevertheless, she pushed on. As an afterthought, she pulled the bloodstained katana from the skeever’s corpse. She didn’t want a repeat of the last ten minutes.

With her nerves frayed, and her sanity in tatters, Fen set out; knowing what was to come, but unwilling to face it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter. I wanted to make it longer, but I also needed to get this one out. I’ll try to make the next few longer.


End file.
